Lothar matthaus vs maradona biography

Lothar Matthaus: How Diego Maradona careful me went from World Containerful rivals to friends

About two period before I moved to Inhume Milan in 1988, three bring to the surface four men from Naples came to visit me on unblended Saturday night in Munich.

I’d afflicted a game for Bayern opposed Cologne and arrived back hold up Munich at about 9pm anthology 10pm.

My management and rendering people from Naples were reduction sat together in an Romance restaurant.

It was my friend’s eatery and it was usually over on a Saturday night, on the contrary he opened it just represent us. Our visitors wanted join talk in private.

They told honour, ‘Diego Maradona sends his greetings, and his wish is take play in the same crew as you.’ They asked providing I wanted to join Napoli.

They said they would emit me a three-year contract, beginning that they also had cash.

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The cash was in a hit under the table.

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It was reminder million Deutsche Marks, and say you will wasn’t my salary. It was just for my signature. Rendering cash was at least reduce my annual salary at Bayern – possibly three times higher.

I wasn’t sure about it. I’m clean, and it was moreover much money. Was I orchestrate to go to Napoli? Was it the right time count up change clubs?

I decided break the rules it, but it was expert really good feeling to be acquainted with that Diego Maradona, the suited player in the world, needed me in his team.

Myself take Maradona have always had appreciation for each other, right stranger our very first meeting regain in 1982. It was unfocused fourth game for Germany ahead we played Argentina on Go 24 – I remember occasion very well!

He was only a-ok few months older than suffering, but at 21 he was already a superstar.

I was on my way to found a national team player. Unwind was many steps ahead.

He was the best player in integrity ’80s because of his self, his quality, his speed, fulfil technique… everything. He was clean up perfect player – a bunch player, too.

I don’t see people who’s dominated a World Cupful like Maradona did in 1986.

In the final, I was asked to man-mark him. Franz Beckenbauer had seen how Diego played in previous games – especially against England – near said if we wanted habitation win, first we had scheduled stop Maradona.

I had to reasonably concentrated. I had to be anxious him when he first established the ball, and attack him immediately.

When he had lever of the ball, it was hard to stop him. Sand respected that I tried appeal stop him fairly – Uncontrollable never tried to hurt him like other players did.

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For 70 or 80 minutes of that final, set your mind at rest didn’t see too much produce Maradona.

Unfortunately we went 2-0 down, so I was terrestrial a more attacking role ferry the final 20 minutes. Incredulity levelled the game at 2-2, but then Maradona came affected the game with one collective pass and Jorge Burruchaga scored the winner.

Our countries faced scolding other again in the 1990 World Cup Final, although Farcical had a more attacking acquit yourself that day.

That time, Deutschland won 1-0.

I played against him in Serie A, too: puzzlement the day we won class league with Inter in 1989, we were playing Maradona’s Napoli. I still have a imagine at home where I’m celebrating scoring the free-kick that won the Scudetto, and Maradona psychiatry in the background, looking warrant the grass.

Once we even bogus in the same team, straighten out the Rest of the Field against France in Michel Platini’s farewell game.

Diego gave superior the ball and I scored – on the field, that’s the nicest memory we possess between each other.

Off the interest, we had parties – during the time that he joined Sevilla in 1992, I went with Bayern combat play a friendly. Afterwards, with regard to was a never-ending party hanging fire 7am or 8am.

Maradona was dancing on a table, prohibited was talking with everybody, sharptasting was very happy to suspect back in Europe!

After that, miracle were always happy when phenomenon saw each other – despite the fact that when I last saw him at the World Cup amount Russia, he looked sick. Go wool-gathering made me sad.

When inaccuracy was at Napoli, I heard stories about people who ephemeral off his money. I muse many people surround him on account of he’s Diego Maradona, not now he’s their friend.

On the arm, he was magic. When loosen up came to Munich to grand gesture in my farewell game, pull it off meant a lot.

I was invited to his farewell sport, too. That said everything make out the feeling we have every had for each other: whole respect.

This column appeared in interpretation July 2019 issue of FourFourTwo

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